Finding Your Theme

Remember all that brainstorming you did in the previous three lessons? Now is the time to take out all of those notes again and rediscover what attracted you to your theme in the first place. How much of that has stuck? How much of it is causing you to roll your eyes now and ask “Seriously!?” Figure out where you stand with your theme and then decide where you’re going with it. EXPRESSIONS OF THE THEME These might fit into the yearbook any number of places, including:

SECTION HEADERS

CAPTIONS

HEADLINES

FOLIOS

“HERE’S WHAT WE’RE GONNA DO” Fusion, Hagerty High School, Oviedo, Florida

REACH FOR THE THESAURUS Hit up the online thesaurus (thesaurus.com is a good one) and type in some of the words used in the various expressions to see where they might lead you. The goal is not to find the most obvious things, but to find the most interesting and entertaining ways to express your theme and make your voice known. Again, you can make lists and build upon the information you already have. LOOK FOR PUNS Plays on words (the clever ones — not the ones that cause groans) might prove to be unique thematic options for expression. Find a word that rhymes or is slightly tweaked from one you are thinking of using and hunt for book titles on Amazon using the rhyming word. Then sub in the real word to see if a clever title or spinoff arises. It could be section headers or headlines, cutlines for photos, theme words as folio tabs, or any other form of verbal theme touches throughout the book.

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